The controversial film Da Vinci Code premiered at the annual film festival in Cannes . Fans lined up the red carpet for hours to catch a glimpse of the celebrity line up to include Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, director Ron Howard, author Dan Brown and Samuel L Jackson and Juliette Bionche who officially opened the festival.
The film has caused outrage among many Christian organisations, including officials at the Vatican, who say the film is blasphemous. The film launch has been delayed in countries such as India and in some countries censorship has been denied.
The film revolves around a theory that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children. The Roman Catholic Church had denounced this as pure fiction.
In a press conference Howard advised people not to the see the film if it is likely to cause any upset. He also added that this is meant to be entertainment and should not be confused with theology.
A spokesman for the catholic group Opus Dei said "Any adult can distinguish reality from fiction. But you cannot expect a child to make proper judgements. The group insist that children should be protected from what they call "insidious" lies about Catholicism.
The film premiered at cinemas across the UK on Friday 19th May 2006.
